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Snow, severe storms barge into West, central USA

Winter storm warnings are in effect for parts of Colorado and Wyoming into Monday, as a spring snowstorm blankets the region. People in Southern Nebraska are dealing with damage from several tornadoes. (May 12)
Video provided by AP
Newslook

Gary Strauss, USA TODAY
8:13 a.m. EDT May 12, 2014

Pat Blazek shields himself from the snow and wind with an umbrella as he competes in a disc golf tournament on May 11 at Aggie Greens in Fort Collins, Colo.(Photo: Erin Hull, The Coloradoan, , via AP)

Dozens of snowplows took to the streets of Denver early Monday, after a powerful spring storm made a wet, cold mess of Mother's Day in parts of Colorado and Wyoming, while powerful thunderstorms moving through Nebraska produced damaging tornadoes.

More than a foot of snow fell on parts of Colorado and Wyoming. The National Weather Service issued a winter storm warning for most of northern Colorado and parts of southern Wyoming for all of Sunday and for Monday morning.

A tornado touched down at Sutton, Neb., and photos posted on Twitter showed damage to building exteriors. There were sightings of twisters in other parts of eastern Nebraska, the Weather Channel reported.

Tornado watches were out for parts of Iowa, Nebraska and Oklahoma. At least one twister touched down in Lee County in southwestern Iowa.

The National Weather service said big hail could fall in central and northern Kansas through southeast Nebraska. Thunderstorms were forecast from San Antonio to Chicago.

Accumulations could reach up to 15 inches of snow over part of Colorado and Wyoming, with enough force to cause power outages and treacherous driving conditions. Denver officials said they were deploying 70 snowplows overnight to prepare for Monday's commute. At 3 a.m. Monday, the weather service said it was still snowing around the city.

Wintry conditions forced the closure of a 150-mile stretch of Interstate 80 between Cheyenne and Laramie, Wyo.

Julie Smith, a spokeswoman for Denver International Airport, said crews have treated runways in anticipation of dropping temperatures Sunday night.

"At this point we are seeing some delays with our airlines while they are getting their deicing operations up and running, and we do expect the airlines to be fully deicing in the morning," she said.

The weather service also warned that snow could be heavy and wet enough to snap tree limbs and power lines, causing power failures. Winds gusting up to 30 mph could reduce visibility, and roads could be treacherous to drive.

At least one tornado touched down in northwest Missouri on Saturday night, damaging scores of homes, three churches and a school in Orrick, a town of about 900 residents northeast of Kansas City. No injuries were reported.